The Forest After Us

By Jenni Räinä Pekka Juntti, Jenni Räinä, Anssi Jokiranta  & Anna Ruohonen

Winner of the Finlandia Non-Fiction Literary Award 2019! Nature Book of the Year 2019 finalist!  A topical, non-judgmental and multi-faceted book about the state of Finnish forests, a “new generation forest book” by four young journalists from Northern Finland. Finnish forests are at a turning point. The majority of the country’s forests are commercial forests, where logging is a record high. How did it come to this? What could be done to preserve forests for future generations? Written with a journalist approach, The Forest After Us addresses a topical issue. It proposes alternatives, and together with forest users and researchers, considers what Finnish forest could look like in the future – a forest that benefits both the national economy and nature.   The authors of the book are a group of new generation journalists from northern Finland, including non-fiction authors, forest owners and outdoor enthusiast. The breathtaking nature shots are by Lapin Kansa newspaper photographer Anssi Jokiranta.       Photo © : Anssi Jokiranta 

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About the author

Jenni Räinä (b. 1980) is a non-fiction writer and journalist. Räinä’s family roots are in the small hamlet of Hyry (pop. 200) just north of Oulu, where she currently lives.In the 2023 Botnia Prize nominee Marsh Memories (Suo muistaa) she embeds the themes of climate crisis and protection of the environment into the stories of fictional characters, Juho and Hellä. Her previous book Women Wandering the Wild (Kulkijat, 2021) is a break away from the traditional wilderness books and presents the stories of nine women who talk about the wild and their relationship with nature in an era of eco-crisis. The book also features Teija Soini’s photographs.Jenni Räinä is also one of the four authors of The Forest After Us (Metsä meidän jälkemme), which won the Finlandia Non-Fiction Prize in 2019. All of Jenni Räinä’s work deals with Finnish nature, especially forests and swamps, and reflects the author’s deep knowledge of these topics.In 2018, she was a nominee for the Finlandia Non-Fiction Award and for Bonnier’s Finnish Grand Prize for Journalism in the Book of the Year category. That same year, she was awarded the Botnia Literature Prize.

Pekka Juntti (1980) is an editor who is known for his rich language and narrative journalistic approach. He has written columns for YLE and he has was awarded for Bonnier’s journalist award in the Public’s favourite category.  Pekka Juntti lives in Haaparanta, Northern Sweden and is interested in northern people, phenomenon and nature.  Jenni Räinä (1980) is a non-fiction author and journalist who lives in a small village in Oulu. She is a 2018 Tieto-Finlandia non-fiction literary award, Botnia award and Bonnier journalist Book of the Year award nominee.  Anssi Jokiranta (1984) is a photographer and video content creator who lives in Rovaniemi and works for the local newspaper Lapin Kansa. He’s explored the Lapland’s landscape through his lens for the past 15 years.  Anna Ruohonen (1985) is a journalist and content creator who lives in Rovaniemi. Most of her work focuses on Northern Finland but it has also led her to the other corners of the world such as Nepal, Indonesia and Norway.